Jester and Echo
by IAmHarleyQuinn
Summary: Batman's daughter meets Joker/Harley Quinn's son!
1. Prologue

_He cupped my face in his hands, his eyes were sad even though his scars stretched upward in a permanent smile. His father had carved them in a few years ago, but he wasn't like his __father, I could see the difference in his eyes. Our lips brushed together, I could taste the makeup his parents forced him to wear. Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain poured onto our heads, like we had angered the universe. It wasn't supposed to be t__his way, we shouldn't have to hide. Even though my tears were lost in the rain, he wiped my cheeks with his soft thumbs._

_ "Sh-sh-sh, don't cry, not now," He cooed, his velvety voice making me want to melt against him._

_ I nodded and he pulled me into a tig__ht hug, lacing a hand through my wet hair. I hung onto him, afraid, I've never felt so afraid, to lose him._

I jerked awake to find a silhouette leaning against my open doorframe.

"Being extra creepy today, Dick?" I said groggily, rubbing my eyes.

The silhouette flicked on the lights, I groaned and shielded my eyes. I glanced at the clock before sitting up, and discovering that the figure didn't belong to Dick at all.

"Has Dick been bothering you again?" he walked in and sat on the edge of my bed.

"No, Dad," I responded automatically.

He held up his hands and chuckled, "Alright fine, you know I have to ask. It's my job to look after you."

He ruffled my messed up hair and I gave him a sleepy smile. He looked at me oddly; I could see my reflection in his dark brown eyes, similar to my own. He did this sometimes, when he was remembering my mother, whoever she might be. I learned when I was a little girl not to ask him who she was.

"It's time to get up, Justice," he got up from my bed and leaned down to kiss the top of my head.

I looked up at him, but his eyes were clouded over once again. Moments between us never lasted long; my smile faded as well.

"When are you going to start calling me by my middle name, like everyone else does?" I called after him.

He paused at my doorway.

"The day I become..like everyone else."

And like that he was gone, probably to marinate in the Cave. I held my head in my hands, my dream was a blurry memory. I was almost sure I remembered Jester being in it, but that didn't make sense. Why was I dreaming about my enemy? Maybe I was killing him. That happy thought made the smile return to my face.

"Echo, there you are!" Dick said swinging into my doorway.

"Yeah, funny how you'd find me in my own room," I rolled my eyes.

He gave a smirk, "Come on, BatGirl, the city needs us."

"The city _always_ needs us."

….

Somewhere, deep in the Narrows, the Joker barged into his son's room, guns loaded and ready to go.

"Get up," He hissed at the sleeping figure sprawled out on the spring mattress.

When the figure neglected to comply, the Joker shot off a couple rounds into the air, causing a light rain of ceiling bits to dust the room.

"Jesus Christ!" the figure yelped and sat up in bed.

Joker snickered and flipped on the lights with the barrel of on gun while tossing the other onto his son's lap.

"Rise-and-shine, my little Jester! We have mass chaos to cause!" he said in an almost sing-song voice.

Harley's annoying piercing voice called out to him and he suddenly grimaced. He gave his kid one last smile before turning on his heels and stalking out the door, just as suddenly as he came in.

Jester rubbed his face and groaned at his lack of sleep. He absentmindedly ran the tips of his fingers along his scars while he thought about his dream. He only remembered little bits of it, but he was pretty sure it had that goody-two shoes BatGirl in it. Oh how he loathed her; she thought she was so much better than him.

He didn't want these scars and he wasn't like his parents, he wasn't crazy..yet, at least. She had no idea how hard it was, to live life knowing that, eventually he'll snap just as his parents had, but never knowing when and how. His father had once described going insane to him, relating it to sliding down one of those twisty slides at the park…Jester hadn't been to a park since.

"JESTER!" the Joker growled, obviously waiting on him.

Jester jumped up and slapped on his uniform. He quickly smeared the goopy makeup over his face, wondering if BatGirl would be the hero to make him snap.

…..

And in a way….yes, she will be.

**- Just a little taste of my new story! REVIEW PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! I shall love you forever if you do….!**


	2. Taken

I winced as I gingerly brushed my fingertips over the yellowy green bruises where Harley had gripped my arm. I stared into my mirror, discovering my mouth was set in a firm line, making me look like dad. The thought of imitating him just made the grimace deepen; I knew I should go talk to him, make sure he's alright. The Joker had got in a couple good punches, as he always did, but my body was so sore and tired, the thought of making the hike to the cave's elevator made my muscles scream in protest.

At the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat in my doorway, I yanked my sleeve down, covering the evidence of my discomfort. I turned and as I recognized the figure immediately, a smile played on my lips.

"Hello, Miss Echo," He smiled with his hands respectfully held behind his back.

"Hey Alf, Dad still in the—"

"Cave? Yes, I suppose, that's where I left him to find you."

He crossed the doorway and sat gingerly on the edge of my crisply made bed; he looked around him, at the neatly dusted and organized room, a chuckle bubbling from his throat. I tried my best to hide my limp as I took a seat beside him and studied his familiar cleanly shaved face, not a wisp of white hair out of place on his head.

"I've always loved your room the best, do you know why?" he looked warmly at me, a hint of pride in his eyes.

I shook my head and waited for him to go on, "I have never had to clean this room. It's always perfectly in order and not a speck of dirt to be seen."

I smiled weakly and breathed a laugh.

"What's the matter?" His dark eyes clouded with concern, but I looked away, casting my gaze on the pattern of my bed spread.

"Have you ever felt like you should be remembering something, as if you had a memory that you forgot?" I chose my words carefully.

"Hmm, well that's rather peculiar, no..I can't say I have. I know what'll make you feel better though, a nice hot cup of smoothing tea."

He slowly stood up and crossed over to the doorway; he paused with his hand lightly on the door frame. He turned his head to look back at me, his gaze was almost that of pity.

"You're like your father in many ways, as I'm sure I've told you before, Miss Echo. But…in some ways, you're very different as well. The problem that your father has, is not allowing himself to forget," something flickered through his eyes as he briefly stopped, "I guess what I mean is that if you ever have the luxury of forgetting what you've encountered in your job, I wouldn't go chasing after it."

And with that, he was gone without a sound. I shook my head, Alfred has always spoken the truth, whether it was what I wanted to hear or not. I understood what he was saying, but I don't think what my mind was skipping over was anything related to my Batgirl identity. It felt more like a feeling I was stowing away, like I was hiding a secret from myself which I didn't think was possible.

I slunk out of my room, ignoring the pain in my legs as I padded down the grand stairs. As soon as my feet hit the base of the polished tile flooring, a voice called out my name from the top. I listened to the heavy steps of Dick and held in a sigh.

"Hey Gorgeous, where you going?" He asked smoothly as he jumped over the last couple steps, landing with a dull thud next to me.

"Check on Dad, he was sort of quiet after we got back," I folded my arms over my chest, knowing all too well that his eyes had a habit of dipping too low.

Dick let out a snorting laugh, "He's always quiet."

I flickered my eyes up towards his, staring hard enough to falter his smile. He knew as well as me that Dad blamed himself for anything and everything that went wrong.

"Anyways, he likes to be alone anyways, let's not bother him. Come on, it's Friday night, lets go see a movie. I might even pay for you, if you behave yourself," his cocky smile was back and confidence shone in his eyes.

"I'd rather have a date with the Joker," I snapped and pushed onwards.

Dick didn't say anything else, but I could hear him following behind me. I put him out of my mind as I headed to the closest entrance way into the cave. I ducked into Dad's old study and quickly crossed the carpeted room to the grandfather clock. I hated this study for some reason; it used to belong to my grandfather and it seemed like the livelihood of the room died with him. Dad refused to move anything out of its place and no matter how many times Alf cleaned it, the old items seemed to constantly be covered in a thin layer of dust and age. On the desk, there were open books with yellowing pages and an old dirty glass, that once held wine before it dissipated into the air.

I couldn't stop the chills running up and down my back as I set the clock hands to 10:47. I suppose that the sight of this room would be comforting if I had actually met my grandfather, but now it felt like I was stepping into some place I didn't belong. I heard a faint click as a panel in the wall cracked open, I slipped through and waited for Dick to stride in behind me before finding the cool handle on the inside of the panel and pulling it closed. I flicked the lights on and removed Dick's arm he managed to curl around my waist.

I punched in the code and waited until the elevator's gears groaned to life and we started our descent, picking up more and more speed. As I stepped out, my eyes focused on a picture so familiar to me. Dad was staring at the monitor and its flashing images, even though I knew he didn't really see them. I lightly walked up behind him and gently placed a hand on the smooth material of his black cape; he jerked out of his thoughts and seeing that it was me, he straightened up and pulled a smile on his face. It was the same smile he put on when he was just Bruce Wayne greeting business associates or when I walk in on him and Alfred talking in hushed tones.

"You're going to hurt your eyes," I smiled the same smile back.

"Maybe then I'll be as blind as a bat, fits my job," He chuckled.

"What are you thinking about?" I said, my voice getting lower and my fake smile fading.

He grimaced and looked back at the monitors, "It was too easy. We captured the Joker with almost…minimal…casualties and knowing Harley, she would've thrown herself at the cop car if it wasn't staged. I've been waiting for the phone to ring, for the news from Arkham that he escaped, but nothing."

He shook his head and Dick spoke up from inside the bat mobile, "I don't get it, we finally succeed in a mission and you two are over there worrying about every fucking detail. Can't we just win for once?"

"No," Dad and I said in unison and shared a look.

Dick rolled his eyes, a gesture that made me want to smack him across the face in annoyance.

I turned back to dad, "Why don't we—"

I was cut off when sudden darkness swallowed everything in the huge cave. I felt dad hurry to stand up as a crazy cackle echoed in my ears from somewhere in the darkness in front of me. Memories of that laugh flashed through my eyes along with the familiar stench of gasoline, sweat, and gunpowder.

"What do you want, Joker? Show yourself!" Dad's fiercely low voice made me flinch.

"Tsk, tsk, now I thought bats could see in the dark!" The Joker was closer than I thought and his scent loomed closer as he snickered.

A thought shot across my mind; I wasn't in uniform and I had no mask. I silently progressed to the stairs of the upper level, relying on what I remember of the cave's layout to not run into anything. The lights flick back on and for a few seconds I was frozen.

"Well, where do you think you're going, little girl?" The Joker's gravelly voice shot adrenaline through my body and I took off running as far away from him as I could.

"Get her, Jester," I heard him hiss before his low voice was out of earshot.

I scrambled up the metal stairs, extending my legs out to take two at a time. I just had to make it to my extra suit; if I exposed my identity, I exposed all of us. I jumped over the Batwing and dodged stainless steel filing cabinets, until someone flew into me with all their weight. We both tumbled to the ground, I barely had time to catch my breath before hands flipped me onto my back and I glared into his face as he straddled me.

"Well who the hell are you?" he snickered and his scars stretched upwards.

I struggled underneath him, but he just tightened his grip on my wrists. Did he really not recognize me? It felt unreal to be in front of Jester without him knowing who I was. My mask did cover most of my face and all of my brown locks and I tried my best to disguise my voice when I had to speak at Batgirl, but it seems like he should've put two and two together.

"Wow, you really are stupid," I sneered and spat into his face.

"Listen here girly," He started and wiped of my spit, exposing a smear of his tanned skin from under his makeup.

I quickly recovered, "I mean, don't you recognize me? I'm Justice _Wayne_."

I made sure to include an air of importance to my voice. His hand came down hard across my face.

"Do I look like I keep up with the news on Gotham's precious Bruce Wayne or his offspring?" he hissed.

I groaned as a headache crept over the right side of my head and his ears perked up at the noise. A thought flashed through his eyes, but faded before I could decipher it. I stared straight into his cool green eyes, a gesture I could tell he wasn't used to; he held my hard gaze, never looking away.

"Am I interrupting something?" A giggle rose from the stair case.

I was tempted to glance at the red and black clad Harley as her heels clicked closer, but I refused to be the first one to look away and he showed no signs of giving in.

"Stop screwing around, Jest! Get the chick and get in the van already 'fore Mista J gets done wringin out the bat!" Her voice turned into an impatient whine.

My thoughts turned to dad, what was Joker doing to him? My fear most have momentarily shown through my eyes, because Jester's expression slightly shifted before he stood up, yanking me with him.

**-Thoughts? Questions? Cries of anguish? Review review review.**


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